1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices which are utilized to provide liquid and/or gaseous fluids and, more particularly, to faucets having a liquid outlet and a gas outlet and a method of producing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Laboratory faucets are necessary in many environments including industrial, government, health care, and education where scientific/technical work is being performed. Many public and private schools in this country have some type of science laboratory facility. Some laboratory facilities utilized in these schools include laboratory sinks and faucets. Some faucets provide the capability of supplying water from a single source such as a hot or cold water source. Other faucets provide the ability to mix cold and hot water to allow a user to provide water at a variety of ranges of temperatures. Some faucets also include a vacuum breaker connected at some location to the spout. Additionally, some prior art faucets include a base unit which may also supply a vacuum, or various pressurized gasses for various kinds of burners, equipment, or other uses.
Vacuum breakers in faucets may be utilized to prevent fluid from entering through the outlet nozzle of the faucet and proceeding through the spout to the water inlet to potentially contaminate the water supply. A lower pressure at the inlet than at the outlet may produce this situation. Vacuum breakers often utilize a piston which moves to prevent back flow between the inlet and the outlet should a low pressure situation arise at the inlet. As the piston seals off the inlet from the outlet, the outlet is then opened to the environment through an air passageway. The piston action assists in preventing contamination of the water supply.
A need exists to provide a method of manufacturing laboratory faucets wherein at least a portion of the vacuum breaker is integrally formed within a portion of the spout of the water supply of the faucet.
Additionally, the protecting cap on prior art vacuum breaker designs typically extends outwardly of the piping supplying the water to the outlet of the nozzle. A need exists to protect this cap from vandalism such as by striking with a blunt object such as a hammer, chair leg, etc.
Furthermore, the base designs of the prior art laboratory faucets could be improved by orienting at least a portion of the operators above the sink.
The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoing disadvantages, and others, of prior art construction and methods. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a laboratory faucet and a method of constructing a laboratory faucet which provides a faucet having a protected vacuum breaker which is more vandal resistant.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a method of forming a faucet wherein a portion of the spout is constructed to include a portion of the vacuum breaker therein.
Another object of the present invention is to provide operators which may be located at least partially above a sink.
A laboratory faucet constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a mixing faucet with a hot and cold inlet in a single outlet for water flow. As water enters the spout proceeding toward the nozzle, water passes through a vacuum breaker. The vacuum breaker is preferably formed to at least some extent within the spout casting. Other machining steps may be necessary to complete construction of the vacuum breaker at least partially within the spout. Additionally, the cap of the vacuum breaker is preferably less than or equal to a width of the top portion of the spout. This feature assists in protecting the vacuum breaker cap from vandalism.
The base of the laboratory faucet preferably includes angled planes housing the water valves. The angled planes assist in locating at least a portion of the valve operators above a sink in a preferred embodiment. Angled portions of a rear section of the base contain gas valves which are supplied by a gas inlet through a bottom portion of the base. The angular relationship of the gas valve operators relative to the water valve operators has been found to minimize interference between the two.
Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each of these examples provides an explanation of the invention, not a limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those schooled in the art that modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention.